ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. game — a match
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — wild animals
  16. scale — in music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bass — the fish
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com